EARLY DAYS.
Though it is rather a singular coincidence that my earliest
experiences should be laid in the same neighbourhood as has been more
than once mentioned by the late Mr. Birch Reynardson in "Down the
Road," if the incidents are different, I suppose it will not signify
much if the road is the same.
I have no recollection that we ever did actually drive opposition to
one another, but it is not impossible that we may have done so, as I
was in the habit of driving the "Royal Oak," which he mentions as
running opposition to the "Nettle," on which coach he frequently
handled the ribbons. However this may be, I can recollect well that he
bore the character of a good, powerful coachman, and I only hope I may
be able to approach him at all in my powers of description.
His spirited narratives carry one's thoughts back to scenes of a
kindred nature, after a lapse of half a century, nearly as fresh as if
it were only yesterday. For, reader, I am another old coachman, having
driven one coach ninety-three miles a-day during one summer, and have
worked another about fifteen thousand miles a-year for three years,
besides others for myself, or for other coachmen.
I well recollect the "yard of tin"; indeed, when a youth, I possessed
one, and flattered myself I could blow it pretty well. Such, indeed,
was my passion for the road, that I was not satisfied till I could
perform every feat performed by coachmen or guards. To pass from the
back of the coach to the front, or _vice versa_, was sometimes
accomplished by guards, and, of course, I must do the same, creeping
between the hind wheel and the body, whilst the coach was proceeding
at the rate of ten miles an hour. This was not a very easy
performance, but to get up and down whilst the coach was in motion was
not at all difficult, and doing this once led to my being mistaken for
a professional guard.
I was travelling through North Wales, from Oswestry to Bangor, by a
pair-horse coach, which, of course, did not aspire to much pace, and,
as the day was wet, the road was heavy, which brought the two-horse
power to a walk up some of the hills, slight as Mr. Telford's
engineering skill had made them. Upon these occasions I got down to
walk, and as my pace was faster than that of the horses, I was part
way down the next hill before they overtook me, when, motioning to the
coachman not to pull up, I returned to my seat by his side, and after
having done this once or twice he said, "I beg your pardon, sir, but
were you ever a guard on any coach?"
It is somewhat strange that Mr. Reynardson and I should both have good
reason for remembering the Llanymynech toll-bar, but its existence was
nearly being impressed on my mind by a far more serious accident than
killing poor piggy.
Many years ago, about the year 1836, before I had the honour of
wearing His Majesty's uniform, I used to indulge my love of driving by
starting from my father's house, about three miles from Welshpool,
about five o'clock in the morning, and walking to that town for the
pleasure of driving the "Royal Oak" coach, which started at six, and
returning the same day by the down coach. Thereby getting a drive of
about eighty miles, and the pace was fast, especially if the "Nettle"
was supposed to be near, for we knew by experience that it followed
very quickly; so there was pretty well enough of practice to be had.
On one of these mornings, when we were about two miles on our journey,
Harry Booth, the coachman, who was sitting by my side, whistled to the
horses, which started them off beyond my powers of holding them. I
said, "For goodness' sake be quiet," when he coolly replied, "I
thought you wanted to drive." Fortunately, however, they came back to
me after going a short distance, and we completed the nine miles to
Llanymynech in thirty-five minutes from the start.
This was, perhaps, a rather rough way of learning to drive, and
something like throwing a fellow into deep water to teach him to swim.
At any rate, it taught me to gallop, and a coachman who could not do
that was of little use on a good many coaches in those days.
This, however, is a digression, as it was on the return journey of
that day that I nearly came to grief at the Llanymynech toll-bar. It
occurred in this way--
The "Royal Oak" did not carry a guard, and Tom Loader, the coachman,
having resigned his seat to me when the coaches met, had retired to
the one usually occupied by that functionary. As, however, he was not
accustomed to guard's work, he was deficient in the activity necessary
for slipping the skid pan under the wheel whilst the coach was in
motion, and when he tried to do so at the top of Llanymynech hill he
failed in the attempt. Consequently, we got over the brow of the hill
without the wheel being locked, and, as there were no patent breaks in
those days, there was nothing for it but a gallop, as the wheel horses
were unable to hold the big load of passengers and luggage, and, of
course, the lurches of the coach became considerable, to say the least
of it. The turnpike gate, which was at the bottom of the hill, was
rather a narrow one, and a collision seemed not altogether improbable,
when, just as the leaders reached the gate, the passenger sitting on
the roof seat behind me became so much alarmed that he seized hold of
my right arm, thereby rendering any use of the whip impossible if it
had been necessary, which, fortunately, it was not, as the coach was
then in a safe direction, though rather too near the off-side
gate-post to be pleasant. If the whip had been wanted to make the
off-wheel horse pull us clear of the post I was helpless, and a
collision would have been attended with an awful smash, as we were
going at the rate of a mile in five minutes at the time. Killing the
pig would have been nothing to it.
Whilst on the subject of toll gates I am reminded that I did on one
occasion break one all to pieces, and, though chronologically out of
place here, I am tempted to introduce it.
It occurred many years subsequently to the affair at Llanymynech, when
I was residing at Aberystwith, and, as often happened whilst there, I
was working the Shrewsbury and Aberystwith mail between the latter
place and Newtown for one of the regular coachmen, who wanted a few
days' rest. One morning on the down journey, on our reaching the toll
gate at Caersws, the gatekeeper threw it open to allow the mail to
pass, but, as he did not throw it sufficiently far back to hold in the
catch, the high wind blew it back again, causing it to come in contact
with the stock of the near fore wheel. Of course, it was too late to
pull up, but, fortunately, the gate was old and very rotten, and
doubled up with the collision. It was broken all to pieces, but, with
the exception of a few slight cuts on the horses from splinters of
wood, no injury was sustained. The toll-bar man was disposed to give
some trouble, but little Rhodes, the post-office guard (for it was one
of the last mails that carried them), shut him up with the remark that
the penalty for delaying the mails was fifty pounds.
Before taking leave of the subject of racing, such as was carried on
by the "Royal Oak" and "Nettle" coaches, I am induced to make a few
remarks about it. Perhaps, some one on reading what I have said, may
be disposed to exclaim, "how dangerous it must have been!" and,
indeed, Mr. Reynardson says in "Down the Road," speaking of these
coaches, "they were often too fast to be quite safe, as I sometimes
used to fancy." To this, the result of his practical experience, I
will not demur, suffice it to say that, though I have known a coachman
of the "Royal Oak" fined for furious driving, I never knew a case of
one scattering his passengers. Of course, it was not altogether
unaccompanied by danger, but, judging by results, it could not have
been very serious, as the accidents which occurred from it were not
greater than were produced by other causes. Indeed, there are some
reasons why they may have been less. When coaches were running strong
opposition, everything, horses, coaches, and harness, were all of the
very best, and none but real "artists" could be placed upon the box.
(I think I hear a whisper that sometimes boys got there.) They were,
therefore, secure from any accident caused, as was sometimes the case,
by carelessness and penuriousness, which, to my own knowledge, have
been productive of some very serious ones, as I shall show.
About twenty-five years ago, during one summer, two accidents occurred
on the road between Dolgelly and Caernarvon, which might easily have
been prevented--one of which was accompanied by serious loss of life,
and which was to be attributed entirely to the use of old worn-out
coaches and harness, or inferior coachmen and horses, such as, if the
pace had been greater, no one would have ventured to employ. To the
other accident there was a rather comic side, though not, perhaps,
exactly to the sufferer. The coach was upset a few miles from
Barmouth, on the road to Harlech, and the coachman's shoulder was
dislocated; whereupon, a medical practitioner, who was passing at the
time, mistaking the injury for a fracture, splintered it up. This
treatment, of course, did not tend to mend matters, and the shoulder
continued so painful that upon arriving at Caernarvon another surgeon
was called in, who perceived the real nature of the injury, and
reduced the dislocation.
Then, again, as a fact, there was not so often, as may be supposed, a
neck-and-neck race with two coaches galloping alongside of each other.
Such things did occur at times, when the road was wide enough to admit
of it; but much oftener the coachmen did not try to give one another
the "_go-bye_," except when the leading one was called upon to stop to
pick up or put down a passenger, or for any other purpose. It was
understood that on those occasions, if the opposition was close
behind, the one which stopped should pull to his own side of the road,
leaving space to pass. Then the other one, getting in front, would
"_spring 'em_" to try, if possible, to complete his next change of
horses and be off again without being passed.
No coachman, who knew his business, or was not utterly reckless, would
think of racing down hill, though occasionally, no doubt, they did
take liberties at the top of a hill and come to grief. There could,
however, be no danger in trying to pass when ascending a hill, and
then was the opportunity for the coachman with the lightest load or
strongest team to challenge his opponent. Of course, the leading one
would not give his rival the road if he could help it, and I have had
my near-side leader's bar rattling against his off-side hind wheel
before he would give me room to pass; but there was no danger involved
in that, as, being on the ascent, I could have pulled up at any
moment.
As to there being any danger in merely galloping a coach, I am sure
there is not, even at a high speed, provided the wheel horses are well
matched in stride, the team well put together, and kept well in hand,
and when there is sufficient draught to keep the leaders' traces
tight. This will be apparent from the fact that, however much a coach
may have been lurching previously, as soon as the leaders commence
drawing, she becomes perfectly steady. Of course with the pole chains
too slack there would be danger.
Then, again, the build of the coach has a good deal to do with it. For
very fast work, coaches were generally kept what was called near the
ground. Those which were built by Shackleford, of Cheltenham, for the
"Hirondelle," which raced with the "Hibernia," between that town and
Liverpool, at a pace as great if not greater than any coaches in
England, were contracted to be made so that the roof should not exceed
a certain height from the ground. I forget now what the exact
measurement was, but it was some inches less than the general build,
and to enable this to be done the perch was slightly bent.
The "Hibernia" coaches also, which were supplied by Williams, of
Bristol, were admirably adapted for the work they had to perform,
being low and remarkably steady, but heavier than those of their
opponent. Indeed, Williams's coaches were not favourites with coachmen
on account of their weight, but as they were generally contracted for
by the mile, those were most profitable to the contractor that
required the least repairs. I have heard of a coachman complaining to
Mr. Williams about the weight of his coaches, to which the laconic
answer was a five-shilling piece, and "Don't you bother about that."
These two coaches always made the first of May a day for more than
ordinary racing, and performed the journey on those occasions at a
very accelerated pace. I am afraid, at this distance of time, to say
exactly by how much the time was shortened, but certainly by two or
three hours, and as the ordinary time was twelve hours and a half to
cover the distance of one hundred and thirty-three miles, the pace
must have been very severe.
On one of these annual festivals there was a lady travelling inside
the "Hirondelle," and one of the proprietors, thinking she might be
alarmed at the terrific pace the coach was going at, offered to "post
her" the remainder of the journey without extra charge. She, however,
was quite equal to the occasion, and replied that she was much obliged
by the offer, but that she liked going fast. This showed well, not
only for her nerve, but also that the driving was good, and that the
coachmen "made their play" judiciously.